ASTA Winter '14 Newsletter - Wild Apricot

23 Pages·2014·18.22 MB·English

by  Patty Brown

ASTA Newsletter Winter Edition
January 2014
ASTA Executive Board
President Cynde Hill [email protected]
Past President Patty Brown [email protected]
Secretary Janet Warburton [email protected]
Treasurer Tennie Bentz [email protected]
Southeast Representative Chip McMillan [email protected]
Southcentral Representative ----------------
Northern Representative Debbbe Lancaster [email protected]
Interior Representative Cindy Fabbri [email protected]
Representative-at-large Seat A Bjorn Wolter [email protected]
Representative-at-large Seat B Chris Villano [email protected]
Presidential Awards Dave Gillam [email protected]
NSTA Region XVII Stephen Rutherford (Washington) [email protected]
Inside this edition:
Presidential Award Winner Announced, Science Fair and Ocean Sciences Bowl dates, Mini-grant
recipient reports, SBA Science Vocabulary, NSTA Conference Bulletin, curriculum resources and
workshops, Miss America talks about STEM, important statewide news about science education...
From the Editor’s Desk:
These days information comes at us from all directions at workplace, at our homes, and inbetween. And
teachers, in particular, are taking in and sending out information almost constantly. ASTA is working to
upgrade the functionality of our web site, utilize tools to send out “e-blasts” periodically to our members,
and yet, there is a certain poignancy in also making a newsletter format available. We want to have a
place where there is a “scrapbook” of the goings-on around the state and let people know what has
happened, what’s going to happen, and share thoughts about would could happen.
What ASTA really need these days is for each of you to see yourselves as somewhat of a “reporter” who
sends information TO the organization so we can share your news, too. Many people look forward to
knowing what summer professional opportunities there are and what sorts of youth experiences are
planned as well. There is no way our Board can keep track of them all. Please send to your Regional
Representative (above) any information about activities at your school, accomplishments of individual
educators and students, resources you have found helpful, and any other news.
Since we know that many of us use Facebook routinely, there is now a Facebook page for the group
Alaska Science Teachers. This is a great place for “quick news” and responses to it.
Thanks for all the work you do!
2012 Presidential Award for Excellence

in Science Teaching
In December, it was announced that Rebecca Himschoot,
elementary science and G/T teacher at Keet Gooshi Heen School, is
awarded the highest honor for her teaching. In her words:
“Teachers across the nation are dedicated to opening
minds and assisting young people to become successful, lifelong learners, often against
significant socioeconomic, cultural, and funding challenges. The Presidential Award is one
way of recognizing the amazing work being done in America’s schools. Personally, being
nominated for this award by a local scientist was very meaningful to me. The rigorous
application process also provided valuable reflection and new insights into my teaching
practice.”
Rebecca Himschoot has taught at Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary School for 9 years, serving for the past
3 years as the Science Specialist for second through fifth grade and as Coordinator for the Gifted
Program. Previously, she taught at private schools in Hawaii and Kuwait.
Rebecca utilizes every opportunity to involve students, teachers, and parents in science. She teaches
astronomy lessons in a rented Starlab. Working with local organizations and scientists, Rebecca uses
Starlab as part of an annual Family Science Night. Families are drawn into the science curriculum
further by a parent-led, school-based Stream Team, in which students work with scientists to monitor a
nearby stream and create posters to present their findings.
To make science relevant for students in southeast Alaska, Rebecca incubates salmon eggs in a
classroom aquarium, and she regularly invites local scientists to visit classes. 
Modeling lifelong learning is important to Rebecca. She was selected as a Teacher at Sea by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and has served as a Teacher to Ranger to Teacher in two of
Alaska's national parks. She serves as the regional representative for the Alaska Science Teachers
Association.
Rebecca has a B.A., cum laude, in elementary education from the University of Alaska Southeast and an
M.Ed. from Gonzaga University. She is certified in elementary education.
The awardees include 102 teachers -- representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Department of Defense Education Activity -- as recipients of the
Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.  This award is conferred
annually to outstanding K-12 math and science teachers from across the country.  Winners are selected
by a panel of distinguished mathematicians, scientists, and educators, after an initial selection process at
the state level…Winners receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation, to be used at
their discretion.  They are also invited to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony and several days of
educational and celebratory events.  Nominations for 2013 (secondary teachers) are closed, but
nominations for 2014 (elementary teachers) are open through April 1. 
Our Alaska delegation for the awards ceremony will include 2012 Awardee for Math, Amy Laufer, Teacher
Expert for Anchorage School Districts.
Science Fairs
Coming Up!
Alaska Science Fairs are scheduled and
students and teachers have likely begun work
on meaningful STEM projects. Or maybe you are
a teacher who would like her/his students to have a
science fair experience locally. Tap into the resources
available on these web sites and make your own!
ASTA likes to offer a special award at each of Alaska’s science fairs,
so contact [email protected] if you are a contact person for your fair and we can be sure to connect
with you to make that happen.
Alaska Science and Engineering Fair, “Science With Friends,” is March 21-23. Location in
Anchorage TBA. Go to https://www.alaskasciencefair.org/ for more information. This is an Intel
ISEF-Affiliated fair so students may be selected to go on to further competition. All Alaskan K-12
students are welcome. It is not necessary to win at a local fair to participate.
Interior Alaska Science Fair, March 26-29, at Pioneer Park Civic Center. in Fairbanks More
information available at http://www.interioralaskasciencefair.org/
Southeast Alaska Regional Science Fair is March 1 in the Marie Drake Gymnasium.
Registering is required by January 31. Organizing committee meets again on Feb. 6 in Mr.
Smith’s room at JDHS. Information and lots of useful references are on http://www.seakrsf.org.
Ed note: If you know of other science fairs scheduled for this school year, send an e-mail to
[email protected] and I will help you get the word out.
Staffing Changes at EED
Recently some staffing configurations have been changes at the Department of Education and Early
Development. This results in our Science Specialist, Bjorn Wolter, being reassigned and many of his
duties being assumed by Deb Riddle, who will continue to serve as Math Specialist as well. He will retain
some responsibilities in the area of science education. This is part of the 18.4% cut in general fund
expenses for FY 2015 and elimination of 150 state positions announced earlier by Governor Parnell.
Bjorn assures us, “This does not mean that EED is abandoning science,” but encourages ASTA to
dialogue with Deb as a liaison with EED in the area of science education improvements.
Tip:
If you are on LinkedIn, you can join a group called STEM
Connections for K-12 Education and have some rich
conversations on topics we care about.
World of 7 Billion Video Contest
Bring technology and creativity into your high school science classroom by incorporating the World of 7
Billion video contest into your syllabi. Challenge your students to create a short (60 seconds or less)
video illustrating the connection between world population at seven billion and one of the following:
climate change, global poverty, or water sustainability. Students can win up to $1,000 and their teachers
will receive free curriculum resources. The contest deadline is February 21, 2014. Full contest guidelines,
resources for research, past winners, and more can be found at www.Worldof7Billion.org.  
Journey North Mystery Class Challenge
Starts Jan. 31--Join in!
A great way to integrate math, geography and science is through the Journey North Mystery Class
Challenge. A group of veteran teachers, with the support of Annenberg, has created an excellent web site
with resources to connect students with the advent of spring through the increase in daylight and
movement of life forms. http://www.learner.org/north
For Mystery Class, look at the yellow column on the home page and click on the link. Each week, new
sunrise/sunset data is provided for each of ten Mystery Classes. These sites are scattered all around the
world. Students calculate the day length, week-by-week, and plot it on a line graph. Additionally, someone
makes a graph for your own location. By looking at the lines, students can apply what they know about
northern and southern hemispheres and seasons and the rate of change in daylight. They can determine
a rough idea of the latitude of a place. At Equinox, data is provided that allows students to calculate
longitude. Then each week some cultural clues are provided so students can narrow down the exact
location of their mystery class. There is a deadline for submitting the information, if you wish to.
Test Prep Tip:
There is a collection of SBA science vocabulary words
available on the EED web site. While this is not necessarily
complete as it is not produced by the test publishers, it is a
good resource for reviewing science terms and concepts.
http://www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/assessment/science/science_vocabularylist.pdf
NASA SPACE PLACE SAMPLER
This is just one example of articles available at NASA Space Place.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov The web site for Space Place is overwritten every month, so if you
subscribe, be sure to read the columns as soon as you can!
Some more great web links from NASA:
http://climatekids.nasa.gov
http://scijinks.gov
Surprising Young Stars in the Oldest Places in the Universe
By Dr. Ethan Siegel
Littered among the stars in our night sky are the famed deep-sky objects. These range from extended
spiral and elliptical galaxies millions or even billions of light years away to the star clusters, nebulae, and
stellar remnants strewn throughout our own galaxy. But there's an intermediate class of objects, too: the
globular star clusters, self-contained clusters of stars found in spherically-distributed halos around each
galaxy.
Back before there were any stars or galaxies in the universe, it was an expanding, cooling sea of matter
and radiation containing regions where the matter was slightly more dense in some places than others.
While gravity worked to pull more and more matter into these places, the pressure from radiation pushed
back, preventing the gravitational collapse of gas clouds below a certain mass. In the young universe, this
meant no clouds smaller than around a few hundred thousand times the mass of our Sun could collapse.
This coincides with a globular cluster's typical mass, and their stars are some of the oldest in the universe!
These compact, spherical collections of stars are all less than 100 light-years in radius, but typically have
around 100,000 stars inside them, making them nearly 100 times denser than our neighborhood of the
Milky Way! The vast majority of globular clusters have extremely few heavy elements (heavier than
helium), as little as 1% of what we find in our Sun. There's a good reason for this: our Sun is only 4.5
billion years old and has seen many generations of stars live-and-die, while globular clusters (and the
stars inside of them) are often over 13 billion years old, or more than 90% the age of the universe! When
you look inside one of these cosmic collections, you're looking at some of the oldest stellar swarms in the
known universe.
Yet when you look at a high-resolution image of these relics from the early universe, you'll find a
sprinkling of hot, massive, apparently young blue stars! Is there a stellar fountain of youth inside? Kind
of! These massive stellar swarms are so dense -- especially towards the center -- that mergers, mass
siphoning and collisions between stars are quite common. When two long-lived, low-mass stars interact in
these ways, they produce a hotter, bluer star that will be much shorter lived, known as a blue straggler
star. First discovered by Allan Sandage in 1953, these young-looking stars arise thanks to stellar
cannibalism. So enjoy the brightest and bluest stars in these globular clusters, found right alongside the
oldest known stars in the universe!
Learn about a recent globular cluster discovery here: http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/
september/hubble-uncovers-largest-known-group-of-star-clusters-clues-to-dark-matter.
U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Releases Safety Message
Focusing on Preventing Accidents in High School Chemistry
Labs
Washington, DC, December 10, 2013—The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today released, “After the
Rainbow,” a video safety message focused on potential dangers in high school chemistry laboratories.
The message features Calais Weber, an accident survivor, who on January 23, 2006, at age 15 was
burned over 40 per cent of her body during a chemistry demonstration performed by her teacher at a
prestigious boarding school she attended in Ohio.

In her own words, Calais describes the demonstration, called the “rainbow experiment,” that was meant to
show how various mineral salts produce different color flames when burned. Mineral salts were mixed
with highly flammable methanol in small dishes. 

CSB Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso said, “This is a new kind of video safety message for the CSB.  
Too often, chemical accident victims –survivors as well as fatalities -- are forgotten as time goes on. In
this video, Ms. Weber tells a painful and poignant story that we hope resonates in high school and
academic labs across the country.”  The video is a follow up to “Experimenting with Danger,” concerning
laboratory accidents in three major universities.   

In “After the Rainbow” Calais describes how she was standing in the first row as matches were dropped
into each little dish.  When one flame began to dim, Calais’s teacher reached for a gallon-sized bottle of
methanol.  She began to pour the liquid on the open flame, and it exploded.  “And because I was right in
front, I got the brunt of it, “Calais recalls. “I remember thinking, ‘I’m on fire. Oh, my gosh, I’m on fire.’” 

Calais believes that her accident was entirely preventable and that with better attention to good safety
practices, similar accidents can also be avoided. She says, “It feels with this type of injury that you’ve had
so much taken away from you unnecessarily and to keep reading about other people who have had very
similar experiences, it’s tragic and shouldn’t happen.” 

CSB videos may be streamed and downloaded at www.CSB.gov from the CSB video room.  They are
also available on www.YouTube.com/uscsb. 

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The
agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB
investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment
failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.

The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry
organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Visit our website,
www.csb.gov.

For more information, contact Communications Manager Hillary Cohen, cell 202-446-8094 or Sandy
Gilmour, Public Affairs, cell 202-251-5496.
This is no Tea Party!
The Earlybird deadline for registration is February 7. With a commitment from some Alaska school
districts to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards, and with a strong reference in the new AK ELA
document to the need to teach reading and writing skills in science, there are sessions that are
immediately meaningful. While professional development funds are hard to come by in many districts,
perhaps colleagues could double up with an Alaska Airlines companion fare to get there.
For a easy-read newsletter, go to
http://www.magnetmail.net/actions/email_web_version.cfm?
recipient_id=149267232&message_id=3343286&user_id=NSTA&group_id=1176737&jobid=16467967
Or to register go to:
http://www.nsta.org/conferences/national.aspx
Ed note: The hostel in Boston could serve you well if money is tight and you are flexible, and the subway
is very convenient!
Classroom Project Mini Grant Apps: Members only!
Applications for a mini-grant up to $500 are now open for a classroom project. See application on-line
under Awards and Grants, or use the one on the last page of this newsletter. Previously successful
projects have been wildlife monitoring with handy-cams, a “rock festival,” developing local field guides,
and others.
Be sure your ASTA membership is up-to-date when you apply. If you have any questions about the
application, contact Patty Brown at [email protected].
Free Stuff from Fish and Game
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game offers a wealth of resources designed to help educators bring
fish and wildlife topics to life throughout the state. Whether you live in an urban center or a rural village,
we offer a wide range of locally relevant materials and programs to assist you.  It’s worth your time to
check out these great resources at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=educators.main
·         Conservation education kits that provide educators with hands-on materials, information and
activities.
·         Interactive, place-based workshops using an inquiry method that takes you behind the scenes
and brings you up close to wildlife.  
·         Lessons from the award winning Project WILD lesson guide series and the Alaska Wildlife
Curriculum which provide educators with valuable content background information, and a
variety of hands on activities and lessons that incorporate math, science, language arts, social
studies and art.
·         Alaska’s Wild Wonders is an annual publication available online and in printed form upon
request. Alaska's Wild Wonders serves as a resource primarily for upper elementary students
to learn about Alaska’s wildlife and habitats.
·         Wildlife safety lesson plans, posters, coloring books, and in some regions, classroom
presentations, to help teach children and adults about living with wildlife.
·         And much more….
Curriculum Guide and Resources from
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies
There are many downloadable activity guides available on the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies
web site at http://www.akcoastalstudies.org/education-resources/59-downloadable-educator. These are
useful resources for place-based science.
Final Draft of the
Natural Resource and
Environmental Literacy Plan
After three years of dedicated collaborative work, the
Alaska Environmental Literacy Plan is now in its final form.
http://akelp.org Bjorn Wolter (Dept. of Education and Early
Development) and Kristen Romanoff (Alaska Dept. of Fish and
Game) were key players in the process and organization of the document. The Governor’s Office as well
as various state agencies and the legislature have been made aware of the final product.Through the
Environmental Protection Agency, AK, ID, WA, and OR are participating in a small implementation project.
Bjorn states, “As you might imagine, there are both proponents for and against the plan in both the state
Senate and House.  Moving forward there are a few options for how the project might progress, which are
itemized below.
1.The federal government passes the No Child Left Inside legislation and money becomes available to
implement ELPs across the nation.  Alaska would then be positioned to apply for those funds.
External funding sources become available to move the plan forward, either via grant programs or direct
allocation in the state budget.
3. The State Board of Education endorses the plan (which means they do not require districts to do it, but
do accept it is a good idea), and districts independently make decisions about the plan.”
Ed note: When you go the web site, there is an opportunity to add your name to a list of supporters. At
any rate, some of your rationale work has been done for you for getting those kids outside!
Science in Our Schools Visioning Group
Spurred by the energy generated by the 2013 Alaska Math and Science Conference and further inspired
by the mentorship of Patricia Simmons, a group of your colleagues from around the state, current and
retired teachers, have begun meeting to develop and implement ways to increase the presence, rigor,
and relevance of science education in Alaska. The group is working with some support from ASTA,
primarily the financing of monthly conference calls for now.
As with any new group, finding a focus, establishing an identity, and setting goals are the first challenges.
A primary distinction between this group and ASTA is that SOS wants to rally the interest and
contributions of science across the community in some specific and visible ways. This includes
community and state leaders as well. Enhancing partnerships and publicizing the good work being done
already would help accomplish this.
Some of your colleagues who are part of this dialogue are: Joanna Hubbard, Mike Fenster, Sheryl Sotelo,
Scott Kluever, Dave Gillam, Debbe Lancaster, Texas Gail Raymond, Kathryn Kurtz, Trisha Herminghaus,
Janet Warburton, Deb Greene, Jana Harcharek, Tim Buckley, Kameron Perez-Verdia, Patty Brown, and
Cynde HIll.
2015 Math and Science
Conference Planning:
“Navigating the Tides of Change”
Work has already begun to prepare for the 2015 Math and
Science Conference scheduled to be held in lovely Sitka.
Rebecca Himschoot, Matt Hunter, and Jack Davis are on the
planning committee as science teachers and live in Sitka. Tennie
Bentz and Cynde Hill have also agreed to help with planning. If
you’re interested in helping at this stage or have input and ideas
to share, contact Rebecca at [email protected].
Literacy Links and Lectures
The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has a great new web page
http://gi.alaska.edu/ that provides many resources for studying earth science subjects. You can still get to
Ned Rozell’s excellent Alaska Science Forum through the Public Information menu. His readings are
great background for making science content place-based and provide a means of increasing literacy in
accordance with the new Alaska ELA standards. In addition, there is a schedule of Lectures on Alaska
science topics posted on the web site.
With an Eye Toward Career Education
The American Veterinary Medical Association with support from GlaxoSmithKline is contributing free
DVD’s to teachers to help students learn more about the field of veterinary science.
Go to http://avma.ait.net to request copies.